Leagues CBA Website Official club website Location China Founded 1993 | Team colors Dark blue, White Arena/Stadium Nissan Sports Centre Championships 8 | |
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Nickname Southern Tigers(originates from the South China tiger) | ||
Guangdong Dongguan Bank (official name), also known as Guangdong Hongyuan Southern Tigers (simplified Chinese: 广东宏远华南虎; traditional Chinese: 廣東宏遠華南虎; pinyin: Guǎngdōng Hóngyuǎn Huánánhǔ; Jyutping: Gwong2dung1 Wang4jyun5 Waa4naam4fu2), Guangdong Southern Tigers or Guangdong Hongyuan are a Chinese professional basketball team owned by the Guangdong Winnerway (Hongyuan) Group. The team is one of the best-performing teams in the Chinese Basketball Association, or CBA. The Tigers have won eight CBA titles, tying only the Bayi Rockets' eight titles. The Tigers are the only team to have qualified for the CBA playoffs in all the seasons since the league launched in 1995. The team plays its home games in Dongguan, Guangdong. Occasionally, for marketing purpose, the team diversifies some of its home games to Zhongshan, Zhuhai, and other cities in the Pearl River Delta.
Contents
History
Established in 1993, the Tigers are the main team (Team 1) of the Guangdong Southern Tigers Basketball Club. The club is the first non-government owned professional basketball club in China. Besides Team 1, the club has three reserve teams (youth teams): Team 2 (Guangzhou based), Team 3A (Guangzhou based), and Team 3B (Dongguan based). The reserve teams are jointly-administrated by the club and Guangdong Provincial Sports Bureau. Many famous basketball players in China play for the club.
The Southern Tigers have had a history of performing well in the CBA, being a member since the inception of the CBA. In 1995–96, the 1st CBA season, the Tigers qualified for the finals but lost 0–2 to Bayi Rockets. In 2002–03, they fought their way back to the finals after seven years. In 2003–04, the team claimed its first ever CBA title. Between 2002–03 and 2012–13, the team qualified for the finals every time, winning eight CBA championships and losing three times.
When Team 1 performs well in the CBA, the club's youth team is even more dominant. By August 2011, the Tigers had won 15 championships in the two most prestige national youth leagues in China, including a sixpeat and a fivepeat. In 2009, the Tigers lost the youth league title to the rival Dongguan Leopards, but they won it back in the following year.
In addition to CBA, the team played in the National Games of China, on behalf of the Guangdong Province. In 2009, they won the first National Games gold medal of basketball in the history of the province.
NBA players currently play and have played for the team. Yi Jianlian was promoted from the youth team in 2002–03 and played for the Tigers until 2006–07. He then played in the NBA for a few years before returning for a few games in the 2011–12 season. Laron Profit played in 2002–03 as well as in 2003–04 before returning to the NBA. Lamond Murray played in 2007–08. Smush Parker played in 2008–09 and 2009–10. David Harrison has played in 2009–10 and 2010–11 before going to Tianjin. Aaron Brooks played for them in the 2011–12 season due to the 2011 NBA lockout. James Singleton and Quincy Douby also played for them in 2011–12.
Retired numbers
Honours
Playoffs Champions (8): 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13Playoffs Runners-up (4): 1995–96, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2011–12Regular Season Champions (11): 2002–03, 2003–04, 2005–06 (South Division), 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15Regular Season Runners-up (5): 1995–96, 1999–00, 2004–05 (South Division), 2010–11, 2016–17Regular Season 3rd Place (2): 1996–97, 1998–99
Game
000000006, Jason Dixon, Liaoning Dinosaurs 85–106 Guangdong Southern Tigers, season 2002–2003